Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH has left the death metal supergroup BLOODBATH. "They have a new singer, which I can't say who it is," Mikael tells Loudwire.

He continued, "BLOODBATH, for me, was never a serious project, it was just something I did for fun. We did a few songs on the last North American tour, we did two songs at the very last show [see video below. — Ed.] because we were touring with KATATONIA, so the whole BLOODBATH band was there. It's still fun, you know? But I think that some of the other guys in BLOODBATH want to take it to the next level, which I don't really want to do because I'm so busy anyways."

He added, "It doesn't really have to do with anything with my screaming vocals, it's just that it's not a progressive project for me. It's just paying tribute to death metal and I've done it for such a long time. And when it stops being fun, I don't really want to participate. We do things so rarely it's always been fun. The shows we've done have been fun, but I don't feel the need to do it."

masterguy49

04-12-2012, 05:29 PM

This might mean I will eventually seem them :party:

street_burial

04-12-2012, 05:47 PM

And it's official I'm going to fucking kill someone.

Someguy89

04-12-2012, 06:12 PM

Bring back Tägtgren !

treghet

04-12-2012, 06:19 PM

Not surprising, and it will definitely be a good thing for the band. I don't think they will bring back Peter though. He already has a lot on his plate with rotating back and forth between Hypocrisy and Pain.

GarageMetal468

04-12-2012, 06:29 PM

Bring back Tägtgren !

what he said

MPF

04-12-2012, 07:16 PM

If anything......Bring back DAN SWANO!

Epidemic Reign

04-12-2012, 07:19 PM

If anything......Bring back DAN SWANO!

That would be awesome on record but he can't growl on tour. Like Jonas.

Peter is working on a new Hypocrisy record and Pain is bigger now than ever...

So I say Jorgen Sandstrom from The Project Hate/Grave's first two albums

OR

the dude from My Own Grave

:rocker:

NecroRob

04-12-2012, 10:24 PM

Thank God this finally happened. Every other member of the band seems to really care for it but Mikael admittedly didn't really give a shit. Hopefully an aspect of "taking the band to the next level" is a U.S. tour :drool:

Epidemic Reign

04-13-2012, 12:36 AM

Thank God this finally happened. Every other member of the band seems to really care for it but Mikael admittedly didn't really give a shit. Hopefully an aspect of "taking the band to the next level" is a U.S. tour :drool:

Well yes, thank God, aside from the fact that Mikael was a very fundamental piece of the band's awesomeness.

Nevertheless I hope this all turns out well.

treghet

04-13-2012, 12:39 AM

Well yes, thank God, aside from the fact that Mikael was a very fundamental piece of the band's awesomeness.

Nevertheless I hope this all turns out well.

Honestly I don't think he was that fundamental. I mean, it's cool that he was in the band, but the fact that Nightmares Made Flesh kicked ass without him involved shows they will be just fine.

Epidemic Reign

04-13-2012, 12:48 AM

Honestly I don't think he was that fundamental. I mean, it's cool that he was in the band, but the fact that Nightmares Made Flesh kicked ass without him involved shows they will be just fine.

It did, indeed, but still. That's replacing one of the greatest extreme metal vocalists with another.

How many men are capable of such a fine job as substitute?

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 01:18 AM

Thank God this finally happened. Every other member of the band seems to really care for it but Mikael admittedly didn't really give a shit. Hopefully an aspect of "taking the band to the next level" is a U.S. tour :drool:

They hardly released material, and they all had their own side projects.

Akerfeldt grunts were perfect for Bloodbath IMHO.

brutal_descent

04-13-2012, 01:28 AM

Bring back Tägtgren !

Thiiiiiiiis. Even as an Akerfeldt fanboy, this is for the best. Never liked his vocals for Bloodbath in the first place.

Epidemic Reign

04-13-2012, 01:29 AM

Akerfeldt grunts were perfect for Bloodbath IMHO.

I agree 100%. As much as I FUCKING LOVE Bloodbath, they are not the same without Akerfedt.

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 01:29 AM

Thiiiiiiiis. Even as an Akerfeldt fanboy, this is for the best. Never liked his vocals for Bloodbath in the first place.

This Akerfeldt fanboy disapproves. ;)

Epidemic Reign

04-13-2012, 01:32 AM

I essentially break it down like this:

Peter T.: Sounds crazy, insane.

Mikael A: Sounds like PURE FUCKING EVIL.

Both are great, but only one can be the true voice of Bloodbath. Kind of like Ripper vs. Barlow.

Yeah, Ripper's great. But Barlow is king.

Same shit goes for Akerfeldt.

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 01:33 AM

I essentially break it down like this:

Peter T.: Sounds crazy, insane.

Mikael A: Sounds like PURE FUCKING EVIL.

Both are great, but only one can be the true voice of Bloodbath. Kind of like Ripper vs. Barlow.

Yeah, Ripper's great. But Barlow is king.

Same shit goes for Akerfeldt.

This! :party:

NecroRob

04-13-2012, 01:35 AM

They hardly released material, and they all had their own side projects.

Akerfeldt grunts were perfect for Bloodbath IMHO.

Have you listened to Bloodbath Over Bloodstock?

I believe him when he says his vocals aren't the main reason why he is leaving the band, but I'm sure it was probably still a bit of a factor.

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 01:41 AM

Have you listened to Bloodbath Over Bloodstock?

I believe him when he says his vocals aren't the main reason why he is leaving the band, but I'm sure it was probably still a bit of a factor.

It was never more than a "supergroup project", so I don't understand the fuss.

On metalfan.nl it was even said that Akerfeldt "has sank very deep: first no more death metal for Opeth (which was never a pure death metal band anyway but you know, trolls) and now this".

:tp:

treghet

04-13-2012, 01:43 AM

They hardly released material, and they all had their own side projects.

Akerfeldt grunts were perfect for Bloodbath IMHO.

Uh... three albums and two EPs is hardly any material? While it may have been over the course of over a decade, that's still a substantial amount for a band that was initially started as a side project.

Have you listened to Bloodbath Over Bloodstock?

I believe him when he says his vocals aren't the main reason why he is leaving the band, but I'm sure it was probably still a bit of a factor.

He said in an interview the reason for his poor vocals was that he was using an in-ear monitor that made him sound different, so he was compensating and not knowing what he actually sounded like. I would say the reason for him leaving (aside from not wanting to tour/record new material) is more or less losing interest in death metal all together.

treghet

04-13-2012, 01:45 AM

It was never more than a "supergroup project", so I don't understand the fuss.

On metalfan.nl it was even said that Akerfeldt "has sank very deep: first no more death metal for Opeth (which was never a pure death metal band anyway but you know, trolls) and now this".

:tp:

I think you're missing the point. He was saying that Mikael sounded like total shit on that DVD. Which he did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9O1G0Acvs

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 01:48 AM

I think you're missing the point. He was saying that Mikael sounded like total shit on that DVD. Which he did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9O1G0Acvs

Over the course of 12 years:

3 albums
2 Ep's
2 Dvd's

You call that a big discography? :tp:

And that his vocals sounded shit on that dvd doesn't mean they weren't good on the albums...

treghet

04-13-2012, 01:51 AM

Over the course of 12 years:

3 albums
2 Ep's
2 Dvd's

You call that a big discography? :tp:

And that his vocals sounded shit on that dvd doesn't mean they weren't good on the albums...

Nowhere did I call that a big discography. I was pointing out that it's more than hardly any material, which you called it.

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 02:11 AM

*Puts on Morbid Angel remix album and respects other opinions*

NecroRob

04-13-2012, 02:15 AM

He said in an interview the reason for his poor vocals was that he was using an in-ear monitor that made him sound different, so he was compensating and not knowing what he actually sounded like.

Hmm, I hadn't heard that before. Kinda sounds like bullshit to me, but I'm not a musician so idk how legitimate that excuse is.

treghet

04-13-2012, 02:24 AM

Hmm, I hadn't heard that before. Kinda sounds like bullshit to me, but I'm not a musician so idk how legitimate that excuse is.

After looking at a couple videos of them playing Deliverance on the current tour he sounds like normal again.

John The Drummer

04-13-2012, 06:26 AM

This is such a bummer, but as said earlier in this thread, he didn't seem too into it at all. In their newest DVD he even admits (or at least leads on to) that it's just a fun thing on the side and doesn't care much for it.

Bloodbath needs to stay around, because the members of Katatonia need to play something heavy >.< . Hopefully this new singer will be as sarcastic as Akerfeldt was on stage.

MetalIsArt

04-13-2012, 09:36 AM

This is such a bummer, but as said earlier in this thread, he didn't seem too into it at all. In their newest DVD he even admits (or at least leads on to) that it's just a fun thing on the side and doesn't care much for it.

Bloodbath needs to stay around, because the members of Katatonia need to play something heavy >.< . Hopefully this new singer will be as sarcastic as Akerfeldt was on stage.

Haha, about that sarcasm: a journalist from Dutch aardschok magazine reviewed their show at Wacken (I think) and he didn't like Akerfeld, because he said things like "now we belong to the death metal elite" amongst others.

LOL.

GameFreac

04-13-2012, 10:31 AM

As long as they get a good singer and tour the US, this is not bad news to me.

SomewhereInTime72

04-13-2012, 10:42 AM

Not too surprised, but still a little sad. Hopefully this works out though.

John The Drummer

04-13-2012, 12:09 PM

Haha, about that sarcasm: a journalist from Dutch aardschok magazine reviewed their show at Wacken (I think) and he didn't like Akerfeld, because he said things like "now we belong to the death metal elite" amongst others.

LOL.

I'm probably going to butcher this completely, but my favorite line friom Akerfeld on the Bloodstock DVD was when he was introducing a song with...

They need someone who does it well like Akerfeldt.. The second CD's singer was pretty bland.

treghet

04-13-2012, 07:27 PM

They need someone who does it well like Akerfeldt.. The second CD's singer was pretty bland.

You're the only person I've ever heard say that.

DementedX14

04-13-2012, 09:29 PM

I hope either Peter Tägtgren, Anders Nyström, Christian Älvestam or Dan Swanö will be the new vocalist.

Epidemic Reign

04-14-2012, 01:28 AM

I hope either Peter Tägtgren, Anders Nyström, Christian Älvestam or Dan Swanö will be the new vocalist.

That's an interesting suggestion, and one that I couldn't completely disagree with or find extremely unlikely.

Afterall, he did do guest vocals on "Iesous" and he is known for juggling music projects...

MPF

04-14-2012, 01:48 AM

THE FUTURE OF BLOODBATH:

With all the rumours that's been wildfiring the last couple of days people have been questioning the current and future status of Bloodbath, so here's the deal. Mikael Åkerfeldt has officially left Bloodbath. We know this might come as a surprise to some of you, but the rest of us in Bloodbath have been well aware for a long time already that Mike wanted out again. This was made to be made public sooner or later and if you're curious to know more about why Mike is leaving and his vibes in general you can read his own words here. Mike, our best buddy and death metal vocal god has been a tremendous force in Bloodbath and we thank him for all the good and fun times on stage and in the studio we shared with this side-project since the formation in 1998.

Now, we've already been getting a lot of submissions from Bloodbath fans who are looking to replace Mike and we thank you for the interest and offering your talents, but hereby, we want to confirm that our decision to make another album with a new singer is already being prepared since a while. We we will let you know in due time who the new singer is and also details on our musical/lyrical concept that has also already been set in stone. Expect the exciting things to happen in 2013.